Improved railway-car



E. -H. ASHCROFT.

Railway Car.

Patented May 15, 1866;

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UNITED STATES E. ASHCROFT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-CAR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,662, dated May 15,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. ASHCROFT, of Lynn, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or ImprovedSafety Express-Carriage for Railways or for Common Roads; and I dohereby declare the same to be fully described in the followingspecification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which-Figure l is a side view, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 atransverse section, of a car or carriage made in accordance with myinvention.

In carrying out my invention I surround the interior chamber of the carwith a space for holding water, such space being arranged underneath andagainst the bottom of the chamber, over and against its sides and ends,excepting in places where it maybe necessary to have doorways orwindow-openings in the car.

The car-body so made I prefer to have constructcd of iron or steelplates riveted together, and to a suitable intermediate framing, ifnecessary.

In the drawings, the chamber or interior of the car is surrounded by twocasings, a b, having a water-holding space, 0, between them. The door d,to close an opening or doorway, 6,, leading through one side of the car,may have a fireproof lining. The water-space Iprovide with aniIuluction-tube, f, extending upward from the top ofthe car and having atunnelshaped mouth. I also provide such waterspace with one or moreeductionor steam or water escape pipes, g, or the equivalent thereof,they being arranged at the upper part of the car, as represented. Inconnection with such surrounding water-space c, I employ within the car,and. at or near its roof, aseries of water conduits or pipes, h h, whichmay be arranged so as to extend both longitudinally and transversely ofthe car, each of said pipes being provided with holes in its lower part.All the pipes of the system should so communicate with each other thatwater let into one shall flow into the rest of them. Furthermore, thesaid system of pipes should communicate with a fusible-plug apparatus,so made and applied to them and the water-space at the top of the carthat the fusible plug or part of such apparatus, while in a hard state,shall intercept communication between the said pipes and thewater-space; and when melted or in a fluent state such fusible plugshould be free to flow away or out of its socket, and thereby causecommunication between the pipes and water-space to take place, wherebywater from the latter may be induced to flow into the pipes and bedischarged by them into the chamber of the car, so as to fall upon anygoods, wares, or merchandise contained therein. The said fusibleplugapparatus is shown at A, its fusible plug being exhibited at 2'.

Furthermore, I arrange on the car or outside of it, or in a chamber orsuitable space situated either within or without the car, and so as tomove it, a stove or heating apparatus, the same being as shown at B inthe drawings. And I apply to or combine with such stove and thewater-space of the car a pipe, (3, to open at one extremity into theupper part of the water-space and at the other at the lower part of suchspace, the same being in order that there may be a free flowage of waterthrough the pipe, and that such water, while flowing through the saidpipe, maybe heated by heat from the heating apparatus. By such means Iam enabled to warm the fiuid in the waterspace and to cause heat tocirculate through it and thus warm the chamber of the car and thecontents thereof.

The fusible plug is to be of a character to melt at a determinatetemperature-thatis, one somewhat lower than such as would be liable toburn or do injury to any material or object or load of the car 'with theexception of the heating apparatus, whose smoke discharge pipe 70 maylead up through the roof of the car in manner as represented.

A car so constructed will not only be safe against fire applied to itexternally, but in case of goods or articles taking fire within it theheat generated thereby will be likely to cause the fusion or melting ofthe fusible plug, and thereby let water into the car and upon the goodsor articles in a state of combustion.

It is very necessary in winter to keep an express car warm in order thatthe guard or man in charge of it may be able to remain in it while itmay be on route to its destination. It is for this reason, and also tokeep the water from freezing, that I combine withthe water-space aboutthe chamber of the car, and to hold such water, a heating apparatus anda circulationpipe.

The fusible-plug apparatus and the waterdischarging pipes I employ withthe said Wan t er-space, for the purpose of putting out fire whenaccidentally occurring within the car.

Therefore What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. A safety car constructed with a waterspace,one or moreshowering-pipes, and a fusible-plug apparatus, arranged substantially inmanner and so as as to operate with respect to the ear-chamber asspecified.

2. In combination with a car so made, a heating apparatus and acirculation-coil, or the equivalent or equivalents thereof, applied tothe Water-heating space, substantially and for the purpose and tooperate as explained.

E. H. ASHCROFT.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr.

